


As Opposed to Someone Else

by Estirose



Category: Kamen Rider Drive
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 02:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 17,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4547193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heart will not have his people mistreated, even if they shouldn't be his people. AU to the series.</p><p>Remix (with some rewriting) of the "Taking Up A Tape" universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to expand "Taking Up A Tape" and the rest of the series for a while, as well as put it in one fic for easier reading, and what better reason than to fit in the canon we've picked up since I started writing? I'm still playing a little fast and loose with the series timeline.

Heart looked at the two struggling humans - or at least they looked like humans - in 072's hands. It had taken him a while to track these two down, given that they were not in the lab. They had been in a regular house, these two, because they were partly organic. Still, they were enough like his own people that Heart had immediately gone to rescue them once he knew they existed. They needed the support of their own people, not the humans.  
  
True, both of them were older than even Heart, at six and eight years old, respectively. Their names were human ones, Kiriko and Gou. Heart had decided that in order to give them new lives, he had to get them to stop thinking of themselves as humans. Therefore, they were getting Roidmude names, AAA and AAB.  
  
"Here they are," 072 said uncertainly. He seemed unsure of what to make of his mostly-organic kin, especially since they'd run and hid from their liberators. The human female that had been watching over them was dead; Heart had no doubt that she had been as cruel to them as Banno had to him. Banno had certainly not cared for his human family, and it made sense that his partner was the same way.  
  
"Lemme go!" the younger one cried. 072, much to Heart's relief, didn't loosen his grip.  
  
Heart knelt down so that he could look the two in the eye. "We're rescuing you."  
  
"We don't need rescuing!" The older one spoke up next. "And where's mom?"  
  
Heart thought of how they'd become dependent on those running the experiment and his heart broke. "Where she won't hurt you, ever again."  
  
"Mom doesn't hurt us." The words were said firmly, the older of the two making solid eye contact with Heart. She was so convinced that those taking care of her only meant the best. It probably had to do with her stubbornness.  
  
"She's hurt you in ways you don't realize." He'd realized before he came that these two would be as ignorant as the rest of his people, but in different ways. It might take them time to respond to kindness or anything positive. He would take the time to get them to trust once more, at least when it came to Roidmudes.  
  
It was better for them not to trust humans, given what had been done to them.  
  
He picked her up out of 072's grasp. "Let's go," he told his fellow Roidmude, who responded by picking up the younger one. Even if both of them struggled, Heart knew he was doing the right thing.  
  
*  *  *  
  
Kiriko knew that nobody would ever blame her for being scared. Her mother had said that it was natural to be scared sometimes, and she was sure that now was one of those times. She'd been awoken by a scream in the house in the middle of the night, and had hid the best she could. Her mother didn't have nightmares, or if she did, she hid them real well.  
  
Then there was a second scream, which could be her brother's. She tried to squeeze tighter into her closet. Her legs were nice and strong, and she could kick really well. She knew it was because of what their father had done to them, and tried not to think of it too much. As it was, she wasn't sure that Gou knew what their father had done, and what their mother had endured to get them both away from him.  
  
And then the screaming came into her room, and she saw a glimpse of a monster. Or at least it looked like a monster; she couldn't tell too well. It was hauling Gou behind it, which would explain the screaming.  
  
There was nothing to be done. She had to protect Gou, because she was the big sister and he was the little brother. As the monster headed towards her closet, she got ready to kick.


	2. Chapter 2

The monster wasn't expecting Kiriko to kick it at all, which almost caused it to lose its grip on Gou. Still, being a monster, it recovered quickly, tightening its grip on her younger brother. It reached out gingerly towards her, and Kiriko dodged.

She didn't know much about fighting, but she was much smaller than the monster, and that's what counted, didn't it? And the monster was trying to hold on to Gou at the same time, so she was doing better than it was.

"Please stay still," the monster said, very politely. "I don't want to hurt you."

Gou was stomping on the monster's foot to no avail. The monster looked like it was made of metal, kind of, but Kiriko didn't really have time to examine it. She was too busy trying not to get caught by the monster, and figure out how to get Gou to safety.

It was as she was feinting for the window that the monster caught her. It had a grip like steel, and soon was hauling both her and her brother into the living room.

She'd honestly expected another monster, but this guy was human, an eccentric-looking man in a red coat. It hadn't mattered, though. He seemed insistent that they needed rescuing from their own mother, who had herself rescued both of them from their father.

The two of them had been taken out of the house, driven away by the man in red. The monster had been in the car with them, holding onto each of them so that they couldn't escape. Kiriko couldn't see where they were going clearly, but as they stopped, she realized they were going into a warehouse for some reason.

"I'm so sorry," the man in red said as they entered the warehouse. It was full of monsters, with the same general shape but different heads. Each of them had a number on its chest for some reason.

But the man in red didn't explain anything, just ushered the two of them into a small room. It looked like it had recently been cleaned, and there were two sleeping bags on the floor on top of a mat.

"I know this isn't what you are used to," the man in red said, "But I'll make it better, I promise. Please, don't go anywhere, just go to bed. I'll explain in the morning."

"I need to go." Gou spoke up for the first time since they'd been placed in the car.

For some reason, the man looked stricken. "Of course. Knock on the door, one of the others will escort you there."

They were being held for some reason, and Kiriko wished she knew why. Maybe the monsters were experiments of her father's, but that didn't explain the very human-looking man in red.

"The light switch is over there. I know this has to hurt, but you'll be much safer now." There was a watery smile on the man's face, and then he headed out the door. Gou started moving as if to follow, but Kiriko stopped him.

"We have to be careful," she said softly. "If we're gonna get out of here, the monsters can't catch us."

Gou looked like he was going to rebel, but didn't do anything. Kiriko surveyed the room. The windows were too far up for her or Gou to reach, and they didn't have anything to make a sign with. There were no doors, but there was a water faucet along one wall. No cups, though.

"What did they do to mom?" Gou asked. Turning around, she could see the tears in his eyes, though he was fighting them. "They said she was gone…."

"It's okay to cry," she said. She would have to cry herself, later. "I think… I think they…."

She tried to hold back a sniffle, though it didn't work too well. "They killed her, didn't they?" he asked. There was a hiccup of sorts as he balled up his hands and then hit the wall with his right fist.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yeah." There wasn't much else she could say to that. Their mom was dead, and they were stuck here until they found a way out.

"Don't worry, big sis. I'll get us out of here." There were tears in Gou's eyes, but he looked steadily up at her.

"Maybe you should go to the bathroom first," she said half-heartedly. Maybe he would find a way out, but they both needed time to think. She doubted either of them was going to be able to sleep, not after what happened.

He gave her a terse nod, and then knocked on the door. It swung open, to reveal the bat-headed monster that had caught both of them. Or at least Kiriko presumed it was the same one.

"I gotta go." He glared at the monster guarding the door.

The monster just stared at him for a moment, before reaching out its hand. "To use the bathroom?"

"Yes!" Gou started stalking past the monster, and Kiriko had to admit that was one way to get past them. 

The monster took about three steps and seized Gou's hand. Or rather, Gou's arm, because Gou was still walking away. "I will take you there."

It nodded at another monster, who stepped forward and closed the door, cutting Gou off from Kiriko's view. She could only hope her brother would be all right. It was a simple trip to the bathroom, wasn't it?

* * *

Gou hadn't wanted to be led to this place's bathroom, but he was also not surprised that the monsters weren't going to let them wander about on their own. He looked around, seeing if he could spot an exit. This place had to have an exit, didn't it?

The bathroom was at least recognizable. Not like the one at home, more like where many people stopped in and used it, but at least he could squat down and take care of things, followed by washing his hands. The monster had followed him into the bathroom, but let him take care of his own needs. That was a relief.

As soon as he'd dried his hands, the monster led him back to the room. It was across the warehouse area, so he had time to look around. The monsters were every place there, but some of them seemed either asleep or something like it.

Gou fantasized about taking care of each one of them, fighting each one of them and ending them like they had his mother. The man in red was obviously their ultimate boss.

He was surprised to see that their door wasn't even locked, just guarded. But he tried not to react, just walked back in to the room. The door closed, and Gou walked over to where his sister was sitting on one of the sleeping bags, obviously waiting for him to come back. 

"Sis, the door isn't even locked!" He kept his voice down because he didn't know how well the monsters could hear. 

"I know. But how do we get past the monsters?" his sister asked. It wasn't something he'd figured out himself, right at the moment. The monsters and their leader would probably be expecting the two of them to try to escape. 

"I'll figure out a way!" Gou told her.

She nodded. "Did you see an exit? I mean, besides the one we came through?" They'd gone through a big door, after all, in the car.

He shook his head. "No, but that doesn't mean there isn't one." Warehouses had a lot of exits, at least on the television.


	4. Chapter 4

"We're going to have to do some thinking." His sister looked over at the door. 

Gou nodded. He'd figure out how to rescue his sister and himself later, but he was tired and even there he could sleep.

* * *

Heart walked in with food for the two children the next morning. He didn't want them to be thinking about that instead of what he had to tell them, since making them understand what they were was important. They also probably had questions for him, but first he had to make sure they knew what was going on so that he didn't have to have guards on their door.

AAA was awake and sitting on her sleeping bag, while AAB was curled up fast asleep in his. AAA reached out and shook AAB awake, much to Heart's relief. He didn't want to panic them while they were still confused.

When AAB had climbed out of his sleeping bag, Heart sat down on the floor before them. He could see their reactions far more easily that way, and maybe would seem less threatening. "Here, eat first." 

He handed the food to AAA and then AAB, watching as they ate. They seemed nervous, which was understandable, but he hoped that they would calm down after they had a chance to digest things.

Once they were done, he smiled at them. "My name is Heart."

"Heart?" AAA asked, sounding the English word out. 

"What kind of a name is Heart?" AAB asked, frowning at him.

"I'm a Roidmude. Heart is the name I chose for myself when I evolved. We're kin, you and I, with the same creator."

"You mean our father made you?" AAA asked, her eyes widening. "You're one of his experiments?"

"Yes, just like you. Except I'm not organic." For which he was thankful. "The others out there aren't evolved yet like I am, but we're all Roidmude."

AAA was taking the whole thing thoughtfully, which was good. And AAB seemed to be listening too.

"But why take us?" AAA asked. "We're human."

"Human with Roidmude parts." Heart smiled at her. "Or organic Roidmudes, as I prefer to think of you." There, that should make them feel more comfortable, knowing that they were among their own kin. "That's why I had to rescue you."

"Mom rescued us from Dad." AAA frowned. "Because of things he was doing to us."

Heart had to take a moment to evaluate that. Had a human actually rescued the two of them from a cruel fate, instead of contributing to one?

Still, there wasn't much he could do about it. The human was dead, and now he was going to have to raise the two of them. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. It's my responsibility to take care of you now."

Maybe in this case, he shouldn't have taken them. But he had lacked data. And now, he was responsible for them. They would grow up Roidmude because that was the best he could do for them, have them grow up in a safe place where they couldn't be exploited.

"You could let us go back," AAA suggested. It was a reasonable request, Heart had to admit, but he wasn't sure that they would be safe.

"I wish I could." He gave her a smile. "But I don't think that would be a good idea, AAA."

"AAA?" she asked, picking up on her new name quickly.

"Your name here." He motioned towards the warehouse. "I have a name because I'm evolved, but everybody else here still goes by their number. AAA is hexadecimal, because you're special. Your brother is AAB."

"No, my name is Gou." The boy was frowning.

"Among Roidmude, you're AAB." Heart gave AAB a smile. "You'll be able to run about in our current home now, just don't go outside."

"But we have school," AAA objected. "Both of us."

He hadn't thought of school. It was something that maybe these two would be worried about, but it wasn't something he could address at the moment. "I'll make sure you have plenty of data to gather."

"And how about clothes?" AAA asked. "I don't want to be in my pajamas all the time!"

He hadn't thought about that, either. He suspected that there was a lot he had to learn about helping these two evolve. Still, 001 might be able to find out the kids' clothes sizes while posing as a member of the police, and it should be easy enough to take clothes of the right size.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'll get you clothes," Heart promised. "There is one of us who would know what to get for you." As heartbreaking as it was, he wasn't sure these two knew to stay. Even if there were good people out there, like their mother had apparently been, there was no guarantee that they'd end up with someone like that. It was more likely they'd end up with someone who wanted to exploit them, and Heart couldn't let that happen.

AAA nodded. "Can they get us books as well? And cups? We have water, but we need something to drink with."

Clothes, books, and cups. Heart could do that. Anything to make the two of them feel better about their new lives.

"I can do that," he said. "Anything else?"

AAB looked like he was about to ask for something, but closed his mouth. 

"If you need me, I'll be here most of the time." He got up, thinking of what he'd have to ask 001 for.

* * *

Kiriko watched Heart leave. It was maybe not so much a shock that their captor was one of their father's experiments, and that said experiment had no idea what to do with herself and Gou outside keeping them alive.

Her mom had explained to her that their father had put robot parts in them, because their father was a cruel man who thought that he should be able to experiment on his own children. He'd obviously made their "parts" about the same time he'd made Heart and the others.

She knew that she and Gou should get out of there, but at least their captor was reasonable. They were now able to explore their warehouse "home" and look for places where they could slip out. Then, maybe when Heart and the others weren't looking so much, they could leave.

In the meantime, at least they had a private room of sorts, and Heart understood the human need for food and rest.

"We gotta get out of here." Gou glared at the door. "He killed Mom!"

"I know." Gou's words had reminded her that despite how nice Heart seemed to be, he had still killed their mom. "We need to find some way to escape and then find a police officer. We'll both look for places to crawl through, okay?"

"I'm not a baby, I can figure that out!" He got up. "I'm gonna go out now."

"Finish your breakfast. We don't know how good they are at remembering to feed us." She knew that they'd need food and water if they were to keep their strength up. 

He sulkily did. She had to admit, hers wasn't bad; sure, it was obviously bought from a fast food place and didn't require cooking, but it was food. She wondered if she would have to teach Heart and the others to cook, just to keep occupied and to have warm meals.

She took the wrappers out with her, looking for both trash can and way out. Several of the Roidmudes looked at her, but they ignored her after a moment, somehow realizing that she was not a danger to them.

"Oh, hi!" One of the yellow-eared ones walked up to her. "You're awake."

"Yes?" She recognized it - him - after a moment as the one who had captured her and Gou.

"I'm so glad you're awake. Heart asked me to look after the two of you. I'm 072." He pronounced each digit by itself, so his 'name' came out as 0-7-2. "You're AAA, I understand." He pronounced her name the same way, which made more sense than his.

"Yes." She tried not to shrink, instead working on moving away while he didn't notice.

"There are only 108 of us, so it'll be easy to identify us after a while." Despite the lack of expression on the android's face, she had the impression he was smiling. "I'm a Bat Roidmude - you can tell by my ears."

It made sense. "Then the others?"

"The ones with the cowls are Cobra Roidmudes, and the ones that don't seem to have either ears or a hood are the Spider Roidmudes."

Apparently, their Dad had a weird sense of humor. Bats? Cobras? Spiders? Really?


	6. Chapter 6

"So, there are 108 of you, in this warehouse?" She knew that there were a lot of them in the warehouse, but she hadn't realized that it was that many of them.

"110, including the two of you. Some of us have left to find humans to emulate, but most of us are still here. Heart wants us to all go out someday and find our own lives."

That might mean her and Gou as well. "Um."

"Do you hurt? I had to grab you fast." 072 looked at her. Even though his face was kind of skull-like, she got the sense that he meant her no harm.

"No, I'm fine." She tried smiling up at him, but she wasn't sure whether it really counted as a smile. 

"Oh." He seemed to take that at face value. "So, what else do you want to know?"

She was tempted to ask him how to get out of there, but knew that would be kind of stupid. "Is Heart the only leader here?"

"More or less. There's 001, but he likes to sneak instead of lead, and 003, who is kind of the mind to Heart's heart."

Heart could be 002. She'd have to put together what information she had and figure out what was going on with him. "Oh. Could you tell me a little more about the history of the Roidmudes?" It might keep him occupied. She was probably not going to be able to look for exits with him paying attention to her.

"There's not much." But he still told her what he knew, which was how Heart had managed to activate the first few Roidmudes, and they'd helped him activate the rest, and then they'd all gotten out of there.

"And then he found us?" Kiriko asked, having filed her mental notes away.

"Yes! He was very upset when he found out there were two more of us." 072 said. "I guess 003 found the information out first, and then told Heart."

And then he went to the house and killed their mom, but Kiriko wasn't going to say that.

"Heart says that we're going to crush the humans someday, but first we all have to learn a lot about them."

It was delivered with such cheerful calmness that Kiriko had to blink. "Um, I am mostly human."

"Yeah, but you're Roidmude enough that it doesn't matter! What else did you want to find out?"

"I think that's enough questions for the moment. I should explore more." Get away from him, find Gou. 

072 nodded. "I'll be right here if you need me, or talk to any of the others."

She had no doubt that he was going to watch her, but she hoped she wouldn't make him too suspicious. She just walked around the warehouse, trying to notice which number had what kind of body, and incidentally if there were any holes in the walls. Which there weren't, not any that she could see.

Finally, she could see Heart making his way towards her, hauling an annoyed Gou by his wrist. Another Roidmude, a Bat like 072, was walking a step or two behind him.

"003," Heart said to the Roidmude, "This is AAA."

"I still can't believe that you possibly led the human authorities right to us," 003 grumbled. "All for these two!"

"They're us," Heart said. It was clear that this was a continuing argument. "Just examine them."

There was a sigh. "I suppose knowing how they are put together can help us."

"Thank you, 003. I'm sure 001 is suppressing the whole incident." Heart smiled at 003, and let go of Gou's hand. Gou took the opportunity to bolt away.

Kiriko wondered if she should do the same, or just let 003 examine them. She didn't think he liked them as much as Heart did, but until she and Gou found an exit, running was rather futile. "He is?" Kiriko asked, figuring that knowing about how the Roidmudes were operating in the human world would help her avoid them in the future.

"He's infiltrated the human police," 003 informed her. "He's done really well, too."

Trying not to freeze in place, Kiriko looked up at him. If 001 was with the police, things were going to be harder. She'd have to react like it didn't matter, though. "Oh."

"In any case, I need the subjects to lie down. I assume you have a place?"

"I'm sure their room will work fine. AAA, go with 003. I'll track down AAB."

Hoping that 003 was just scary and not dangerous, Kiriko held up her hand. 003 ignored it, stalking past them towards Kiriko and Gou's room.


	7. Chapter 7

Kiriko followed 003 back to the room. She wished she was wearing something other than her pajamas, but Heart hadn't brought any new clothes to them yet.

"Lie down," 003 barked, and she obediently did so on top of her sleeping bag. It was at least somewhat comfortable, just in case this went on for a long time. She hoped it didn't, because she wasn't sure she wanted to spend that much time around 003.

The Roidmude placed a hand on her kneecap, and seemed to be concentrating. She didn't want to move, just because it would make the time with him that much longer and unpleasant.

He lifted his hand off of her kneecap. "I'm not sure why Heart keeps thinking you are Roidmude."

"We're not sure either," Kiriko said. Maybe if she made him sympathetic, she could get him to open the door to the outside and let them leave. Or something like that.

"Still, this interface between the human nervous system and the Roidmude components is quite interesting."

"Wasn't there some data on this? Like the information you got when you raided your creator's stuff?" Kimiko asked. She hated to think of what documentation her father had kept on turning his kids part-mechanical, but it had to have been there along with their address, for Heart to have come after their Mom.

"Yes, but I've gathered some interesting information from examining the results in person." His tone made her lose hope that she could persuade him to let the two of them go; in fact, she was sure she'd be dissected if he had his way.

Heart entered with Gou, who was obviously fighting him, or at least dragging his feet. "I've found AAB!"

"I can see that. Lay him down on the other bag, and I'll examine him."

It was obviously a struggle, even for Heart, to get Gou up on his bag. Gou curled up, his arms circling his legs and his head tucked in, just to make it difficult for 003. Kiriko had a feeling that this was not going to go over well with the Roidmude scientist.

003 grabbed Gou's right arm with more force than he probably needed, and held it still. She thought she saw Gou bite his lip to keep from yelling. "You need to be gentler on them, they're not as hardy as we are," Heart pointed out.

"And that's the problem." 003 sounded distracted, probably doing whatever he'd done before to her. "Only parts of them are like us."

"Letgo!" Gou screamed. He was so angry that his words were blurring together.

"In a moment." It was that cold, analytical tone that he'd had moments earlier, the one that made Kiriko wonder if he'd rather just dissect them. "Interesting."

"Did you discover anything?"

"Something of the interface. Do you realize that their limbs are built to synthesize materials in order to grow?"

Kiriko had to admit she hadn't thought about growing bigger without her legs growing with her.

"Of course, our creator intended to include rare minerals in their diet - which would be difficult for us to obtain at the moment. We can barely repair our own people!"

That was something to know. If she and Gou found a way out, she could use that against them.

"They are our people. We'll need materials for our own people anyway. We'll just add what these two need to our list." Heart was smiling. "Work with 001 and see what we need to feed them."

"I am not eating minerals!" Gou yelled, muffled by the fact that he was still balled up.

Heart knelt down by them. "You need those minerals to grow up properly."

"Um, he's got a point, Gou." She didn't like the idea of eating minerals either, but she didn't want her legs to be small, either.

"His name is AAB," Heart admonished her. "Don't worry, we'll make sure that what you need is there for you."

"You're going to need different food than what you're feeding us," Kiriko pointed out. "Otherwise the rest of our body won't be able to help us grow."

Heart nodded. "Tell me more."

"Can I go now?" 003 asked. "I've done the analysis, and if I'm to communicate this information to 001...."

"I'd like you to stay. You can tell me more about human nutritional requirements."

"Rice is always good," Kiriko said. "But we need meat, and dairy, and fruits...." She trailed off, not sure of what else to say.

"003, what else can you tell me?"

"I can give you an entire list," 003 said, sounding remotely sulky, "But maybe it would be better just to get the food items instead of discussing them here."

"I trust you. Find out what we need for them, and I'll make sure we get it."

"As you wish." 003 bowed a little and headed out.

"I'm sorry that he hurt you a little," Heart said to Gou, who seemed determined to ignore him. "But he meant well. You should have laid down. AAA - what did you do?"

"He asked me to lay down, so I did." It had at least made things shorter. 

"See, AAA knows what to do." Heart gave the bundle a bigger smile before getting up. "I'm still working on your other requests, AAA."

"Clothes are the most important." They'd have to be careful, but at least they wouldn't look so weird once they were in normal clothes.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'll see if 001 can get your clothes - if not, I'll find some other way of making sure you have something else to wear." Heart smiled, and left them alone. Finally.

Gou growled softly as Heart left. Kiriko waited for him to unroll himself so that she could actually talk to him. "They've got someone in the police, we've got to be careful." She didn't want to get sent right back to Heart after managing to escape.

"So, what do you want to do?" It didn't sound like he really wanted to listen, but it wasn't like they had much of a choice, did they?

"Well, did you find any exits while I was keeping that one Roidmude busy?"

"A couple of doors!" Gou shook his head. "But they were all guarded."

"Not good." If they couldn't sneak out - after they got some clothes that weren't their pajamas - then they couldn't escape. She supposed if they found a way out before then, they'd have to take it, but that involved not being found by the police. She remembered her mother had an American friend that had helped her out a lot when she was getting Gou and Kiriko out of there - Krem? No, Krim Steinbert. "We'll have to wait."

"Why are you happy with them?" Gou managed to keep his voice quiet, but his glare told her he was anything but happy.

"I'm not happy with them. I just don't want Heart to think he has to lock us in here again. We can't get out if we're stuck here!"

"Whatever." Gou sat on his sleeping bag, hands over his ears, and Kiriko knew he would take a while before he got over his hissyfit and started talking to her again.

* * *

001 returned with clothes, much to Heart's relief. It sounded like, from what AAA had said, that the two of them would be far more comfortable in something other than their sleep clothes. He'd asked 003 more about human nutritional requirements, and it sounded like what he needed was someone to start emulating a chef in order to feed AAA and AAB better.

In fact, it wouldn't hurt to get most of the Roidmudes remaining in the warehouse used to human food, at least the smells and the cooking of it, in order to best blend in with humans. While human children - which AAA and AAB emulated instinctively - were probably not the best role models on what emulations of adult humans should eat, it was something that could be of use to them in the future.

One of the earlier-sequenced Roidmudes, 009, walked up to him. "I understand that you need some help with the health of the Organic Roidmudes," that one said. It had a female voice, which was unusual for one of them at this point. Someday, some of them would choose to emulate human females and take on female traits, but that was for later.

"Yes. I need to keep them healthy and provide good role models so that they don't want to go back to the humans."

009 cocked her head. "Do they contain Cores? Surely fixing their programming would help."

"I don't think so, given what I know about their construction." He was fairly sure that AAA and AAB did not have Cores, but that would definitely ease his fears. He still wasn't sure the two of them would stay if given a choice. He also didn't think restricting them to their room would make them feel welcome among their fellow Roidmudes.

"Then maybe we should install Cores in them." 009 cocked her head. "Do you want me to study them?"

"Without harming them, yes. Don't hurt them. If either of them cries out in pain, stop." He knew 003's manipulation of AAB's limb had to have hurt - he had to do better at making sure that AAA and AAB weren't harmed by their own.


	9. Chapter 9

"Understood." 009 slowly inclined her head and headed towards the youngster's room.

"I'll accompany you." Heart knew that 009 only meant the best for the two, but still, he didn't know if she truly understood what their limits were. Besides, he wanted to get their clothes to them. 

He let her into the room, watching AAA sit up at their entrance. AAB half-turned towards them, and then seemed to resolutely decide to ignore the two of them.

"This is 009." He knew that the number had to be obvious on 009's chest, but it was good to practice, mostly for 009's sake. "This is AAA and AAB."

"Interesting." 009 knelt down. "May I examine them?"

"I'm not sure why people keep examining us," AAA said carefully. Heart made a note to reward her for being curious.

"009 wants to take a look at how you're made up. I made her promise that you wouldn't be hurt."

AAA sighed, while AAB tried to stuff himself into his sleeping bag. He seemed more resistant to his new life than AAA was. Maybe Heart would ask AAA about that later. He should take her for a walk as a reward, and to see how she'd react.

009 put a hand to AAA's head, and then moved it down the back of her neck. "There's been some modification to the nervous system, but no Core. However, I believe our creator created enough of a base for one that we could install it if necessary."

Heart took a deep breath. He hated to think of the pain AAA and AAB had gone through to get to this stage. Their creator had been cruel, and he was sure that 009's words were bringing back traumatic memories to the two.

"Examine AAB, see if you come to the same conclusion, and we'll discuss it later."

"What's a Core?" AAA wanted to know.

"It's like...." Heart found himself at a loss for words for a moment. "It's part of us, it makes it harder for humans to kill us. If one of our bodies is destroyed, we can come back from a Core."

"Oh." She closed her eyes, obviously absorbing the data.

"You have the capability to have a Core, but I want to make sure it's safe for you." He didn't want 009 or 003 cutting them open, which would cause them pain.

The last thing they - or he - needed was more pain.

009 pulled the sleeping bag off of AAB and proceeded to examine him. "This one would require more work, but the same could be done to him."

AAB said something, but Heart couldn't decode what he said as it was too muffled by the cloth of the sleeping bag.

"Come up with a process that could allow them to have Cores, and present it to me. You can consult with 003; he may have some data you don't."

009 bowed at him and left the room. AAB bundled deeper into his sleeping bag, while AAA opened her eyes. "Why do we keep being looked at?" AAA asked, reminding Heart of her original question.

"Because a lot of us aren't sure about you, and I want you to be safe." He was sure that his people would adjust to them, given time.

"Oh." AAA shook her head. He was unsure of why, but he guessed it had to do with her own processing process.

"I also brought you both clothes." He put down the bag with their new clothes in it. "I know you wanted some."

That brought a genuine smile to AAA's face. It made him smile back. It was really the first time he'd seen her happy since he'd found her.

"Thank you very much!" AAA said, looking through the bag. She tossed AAB's clothes onto his sleeping bag. "I'm very happy to have something else to wear."

"You're welcome." There were still things he could do for her - for both of them - but this at least was a start. "Tomorrow, you and I can go for a walk, if you want."

"Yes! I mean, I would like that, thank you." That brought an even bigger smile to her face. He'd have to ask her if she'd been allowed outside at all, or if this was her first time to be in the sun. Probably not, if what she'd said about their mother was true. Maybe she had been allowed to be free, at least for a while.

Once Heart didn't have to worry about her running off, he'd be able to let her run free again.


	10. Chapter 10

Gou huddled in his sleeping bag, wishing everybody would just go away. Including his sister. He wished she wasn't helping their captors, even if she said it was to make them do things that would let the two of them escape.

He was tired of being poked at by Roidmudes. Even if there had been only two of them, two was more than enough.

Hands pulled up the cover of his sleeping bag. "Hey! Get your clothes on, they brought us some!"

At least she didn't pull him out of the bag. Still, clothes sounded appealing, and he carefully slid out. He could see that his sister had dumped clothes all over his sleeping bag, and he started to go through them.

"Gotta dress," he said. She nodded, heading out of the room to let him change. He counted his clothes, noticing two sets of shirts, pants, and underclothes. Selecting one set, he slipped into them and headed out of the room.

Right now, since he didn't trust his sister, he had to find his own way out. And then he'd rescue her from the monsters. 

"Are you doing okay?" One of the Roidmude monsters spoke from above him, and he had to crane his head to look at it. It had yellow, transparent ears.

"Yeah." It wasn't like he had to answer, did he? At least not much. "I just wanna walk."

"I can show you around, like I showed your sister around earlier."

Gou shook his head. "No."

The Roidmude just stared at him.

"I'm gonna explore." He wan't about to be polite to someone who had possibly kidnapped him and killed his mom.

"Oh." The Roidmude walked off, much to Gou's relief. He himself just wandered around, looking for places where he might be able to squeeze through or something like that.

***

Kiriko, in the meantime, had returned to their room, figuring that she'd given Gou enough time to get dressed. She seriously needed to talk to Gou. She didn't like cooperating with the Roidmudes either, but she wished he understood that pretending to work with them was going to get theim out of there faster.

She shook her head, and headed back to the main room. She guessed that Gou was going to look for weak spots. Maybe he'd find a way to escape, but she doubted it.

It wouldn't hurt to do some looking herself, now that 072 wasn't trying to accompany her every moment.

Looking around, she scanned the main room for exits. There were a few doors, but the doors were being watched. She didn't know if they were trying to keep her and Gou from going out, or to keep people from invading. Maybe she'd find 072 or Heart and ask.

She could tell that the Roidmudes around her were staring at her, as if unsure what to make of her. "Hello," she said, as politely as possible, to the nearest one, a Cobra.

The Roidmude bent forward a little, as if to get a better look at her. "You are human?"

"Yes," she said, bowing a little. "My name is Kiriko." She was sure that if Heart was around, he'd be correcting her about her name. But maybe it was good if the Roidmudes around her got used to human names and human beings? Even if those humans weren't totally human, at least as far as Heart was concerned.

She read the nameplate. 074. Close in number to 072, but more confused and curious than friendly. Kiriko thought momentarily about asking the Roidmude if she could go out, but she didn't want to alert Heart that she and Gou were trying to escape.

The Roidmude seemed to lose interest after the introduction, slowly straightening back up and staring into space as it had been doing. Kiriko internally shrugged, and walked off to find Heart.


	11. Chapter 11

Heart had many things on his mind. How to repair those Roidmudes that needed it, how to get supplies for future use, and how to teach his comrades how to pass among humans were among them. Also, there was the ongoing problem of how to deal with the two Organic Roidmudes, how to keep them fed and get them to want to stay. He had no doubt they were still scared, and even if 001 could get them back, he still didn't want them brought to the attention of the humans.

AAA had considerably brightened at both clothing and the prospect of a walk. Maybe that was what the two of them needed to finally feel safe and start feeling like they belonged among the others. And he knew that the others had to get used to their two younger-looking members.

He'd definitely have to take AAB on a walk later, but he'd have to find out how to keep him from running away at the first opportunity. 

Looking up, he spotted AAA slowly heading in his direction, and he smiled. She had gotten into some of the clothes 001 had brought for her, and she moved much more easily in them.

"AAA," he said warmly. "How can I help you?"

"I don't know," she said. "I wanted to walk around, and then I saw you, and...."

She'd apparently come to be with him, which was delightful. She wasn't trying to avoid him, at the very least, but Heart preferred the thought that she'd come there to be with him.

He was still unsure as to what to do regarding her Core and AAB's. Neither 003 nor 009 had reported a solution to the problem he'd presented, which was to make the insertion of the Cores as painless as possible. 003 had thought that it might be best to render them unconscious until the incisions healed, but Heart doubted they'd heal fast enough before they needed to eat and dispose of waste.

"003 has been telling me what kind of food you need." He crouched down so that he was more at her level. "Do you know how to cook?"

"A little?" She cocked her head, clearly listening to him.

"Good. I need you to teach some of us to cook. I'll be able to get some things for you to cook with."

"Like a rice cooker? And we'll need to cut vegetables, and boil eggs...."

Heart was vaguely familiar with the need to do all of the things she mentioned. It sounded like she knew what she needed. He just would have to bring some appliances and some Roidmudes to learn how to cook food for them. Eventually, they'd be able to cook completely for themselves, but in the meantime, at least the Roidmudes would be learning about human food.

And she seemed completely absorbed in thinking about the problem. Maybe she was inclined to spend time with either 003 or 009. If she was, he would make sure one of them spent time with her.

"I'll get you anything you need," he reassured her. He looked around. "Where is AAB?"

"Gou is... somewhere around here." She looked around as she spoke, and Heart inwardly sighed. Apparently they hadn't quite gotten in the habit of using their new names yet. Maybe they really did need to be socializing more with the other Roidmudes.

"His name is AAB," he reminded her gently. "You are AAA."

"I'd rather be Kiriko." The smile dropped from her face, and if it hadn't been critical for the two of them to adjust to being Roidmude, Heart would have let it go. Besides, they could still use the names when dealing with humans, if it came down to it. Heart would rather they be safe than anything else.

"I know." He smiled at her. "And I know this is also a hard adjustment to make. But I ask that you be AAA here, for me."

She paused to think. "I can do that."

"Good. When we go for a walk tomorrow, then if the humans ask, you are Kiriko." He hoped that she would see it as a compromise. "And when I take your brother for a walk, be can be Gou." He paused. "If I can get him to stop running off."

"Sometimes I do think he needs a leash," AAA said. The smile was returning to her face.

"A leash." That would be a solution to making sure AAB was safe when Heart took him outside. "Thank you."

"I'll talk to him, if you want?" She seemed to be thinking again. He'd definitely have to put her with one of the more thoughtful of their kind.

"Yes, please do." She might be able to make her brother less afraid. Or at least Heart hoped so.

It was probably going to take a while, but AAA was adapting, and AAB would in time.


	12. Chapter 12

Heart was true to his promise, and Kiriko felt she shouldn't have been surprised. For all that she'd heard Roidmudes speaking out against the humans, Heart considered her and Gou Roidmudes instead, and he held to his promises when it came to other Roidmudes.

"Here, we'll take my car," Heart said to her after breakfast that morning. "001 will be meeting with us to bring some food and some other things you need to cook food."

He didn't sound entirely certain as to what those were, which made sense, as he didn't eat.

She let him lead her to the car, but she buckled herself in. It was nice not to be hauled somewhere, though she wished this car ride lead to freedom. However, she knew that she couldn't leave Gou behind, even if it was to lead someone to the rescue. She had a suspicion that some of the Roidmudes, 003 especially, would love to take both of them apart. Even if Gou could be a bratty little brother, he didn't deserve that.

"001 says that if anybody asks, you are Kiriko, and I am your father's brother, taking care of you after your parents' death."

"Uncle," she said automatically. "Can you be my mom's, instead of my dad's? I don't want to think about him." That, and she didn't know if her father had any brothers, but she was sure her mom didn't have any. If someone encountered them, made the connection, maybe she could get to safety before 001 realized what was going on.

His mouth twisted into a frown. "Of course, AAA. I didn't mean to cause you pain."

"Thank you." It could be worse, she knew, and she was sure that Heart would call her by her real name if they encountered other people.

They drove to a park, Heart parking the car nearby. Getting out, she let Heart take her hand. "Have you been in a park before?" he asked.

"Yes - Mom likes, well liked parks, and she made sure I could go outdoors. I guess... well... she wanted me to be normal." Their father hadn't spent that much time with them, even during the time where he was forcing new, Roidmude arms and legs on them.

Heart made a face, but he didn't say anything about that. "Then we will just enjoy the park."

Kiriko nodded. "Could you tell me more about our history? 072 tried, but he didn't know much. And about the files that had us in them?" Even if Heart didn't know a lot, he could tell her something, she hoped.

"I will." He told her pretty much what 072 had told her, though with more acting as he talked about how he'd killed her father. "I killed the other man responsible for our misery as well. He was named Krim Steinbert."

She blinked tears away. Somehow, Heart was good at making things worse for her without realizing it. "He was a good friend of Mom's - he got us out of Dad's reach, to safety."

"I'm sorry, AAA." There were no people around, but Kiriko wished there were, just to hear Heart's odd name for her. "Even evil men can do good, sometimes."

"Mom spoke of him with reverence." She didn't want to hurt Heart, she really didn't. But he also valued learning, and she didn't think he wanted to remain ignorant.

"I'm starting to think that your mother was terribly misled." Heart smiled down at her. "But at least she made sure you were all right. I'm sorry for what I did to her."

Kiriko didn't say anything about that. "Have you ever been in a park before?"

"A little," Heart said. "This is my chance to see new things as well. I hope more of our kind will venture out soon - we need to start learning about humans if we're to supplant them."

"I think many are terribly confused." She thought about 074. "They need to get out and start experiencing things. But I don't think all of them want to go out."

Heart nodded. "They need to. I'll tell all of them that they need to start interacting with you and AAB, at least, but I'd prefer that they go out and start comprehending humans."

"We may not be the best choices," Kiriko said, choosing her words carefully. "They need to be able to be adults, not kids like me and G... AAB." 

He must have caught the correction, for he smiled. "I agree, but it will be a start." He paused. "Anyway, once we were free, I had 003 start going through our creator's files, and we found out about you two. I never thought I'd find you - it took a while at the least."

"Mom wasn't heartbroken to find that Dad had died," Kiriko confessed. "She was so happy that she didn't have to worry about him finding us and experimenting more - I guess give us more arms and legs like yours." Her mother had been worried that he'd planned to cut off Gou's left arm and give him a replacement, then do more stuff on her. She wasn't supposed to know this, of course, but she'd overheard enough.

"I'm glad he can't cause you more pain." Heart smiled down at her even more. "But... maybe you'd be willing to be more like us?"

"Be more like you?" she echoed. It had come out of nowhere.

"003 and 009 compared the data they took from you. They both think it's possible to give you Cores, which would make you safer, because no human could kill you. But it would hurt. They'd have to cut you open."

"I don't want to be cut open. Dad did that enough." She wasn't sure what he was asking, but she knew based on what she'd heard that she didn't want one of those Core things.


	13. Chapter 13

"I understand," Heart said. "I don't want to cause either of you more pain." He gave her a smile. "I hope you'll think about it, though. I don't want to lose you."

Of course, she did want to be lost by Heart, so she chose her words carefully. "I'll think about it. I don't think AAB would be willing, though." Gou would be having such a fit if he heard her using that name repeatedly.

"I hope that he will be, eventually." Heart continued, walking a little faster than she could. "Is there anything else you need? I hope you can at least gather some new data out here."

She wasn't sure what data she should be gathering, to be honest. "I think we're okay, but maybe we could play outside every so often? I mean, when it's safe for us to do so and not get caught. Fresh air helps humans."

"I don't think AAB understands why it's dangerous for you to go outside without one of us." He smiled more at her, slowing down so that she could keep up with him. "Actually, do you know why it's dangerous?"

"Because humans could find us and they'd wonder why two kids were near a warehouse during school hours." Kiriko had long figured that out. "Or even at any time, humans might wonder."

"You understand, good."

"But I could keep Gou from running away - I mean AAB. I'm still learning."

"We're all still learning. You're trying to use the correct name, so I'm happy." Heart paused. "What else do you need?"

"Entertainment? Books and maybe games." It wouldn't be perfect, but it would give them something. "Maybe schoolbooks, if we aren't going to school anytime soon." She hated to have Heart go through all that effort, but she reminded herself that it was his actions that had caused all of this to happen.

"I'll talk to 001." He led her towards a bench. "In the meantime, if you could socialize with the other Roidmudes - I know you're talking to some of them, but they need to learn too." 

"I understand." If she could make friends with some of them, maybe they'd turn a blind eye towards her and Gou leaving. Of course, that left the problem of where they'd go - they couldn't rely on the police, not with 001 working there.

Wait - wasn't there someone else that Mom had known that could help? Another foreigner? Kiriko couldn't think of his name, but she knew it was an odd one. She'd have to ask Gou... assuming that Gou was talking to her, of course.

"I also want you to spend time with 003. You're both smart and I think you could teach each other a lot."

Kiriko tried not to make a face. Working with 003 felt like she was working with her father - he was not a nice man. "I'm not sure we would work that well together."

"You won't know until you try, AAA." Heart squeezed her hand. "I had to talk to him about it too. I don't think he understands how important it is to interact with organic beings, and I think that you would be able to talk to him and get him comfortable with humans. And he can teach you a lot about the Roidmude parts in your body."

That... didn't sound good. The last Roidmude she wanted to be alone with was 003. He hadn't exactly been friendly the first time she'd met him.

"Oh." It was the only thing she could say that sounded remotely okay. She'd have to work hard to get one of the others to trust her so that she could get out of there. As soon as possible. Before 003 got any ideas.

She just wished she had some ideas herself.


	14. Chapter 14

At least if AAA had objections, she understood Heart. Or at least Heart would like to believe so. She was still figuring things out, as they all were, and he didn't blame her for still being confused. Everybody was, at the moment.

He saw 001 approach, and he waved. Not that he needed to, but it was good practice in blending with the humans. 001 stopped at the bench. "Heart, it's good to see you."

"You must be 001," AAA said. "I'm AAA." She gave him a smile. It was a faint one, but at least it was a smile.

"Yes." 001 put the box with the cooking materials down. "I'm glad you're acclimating to your new life."

She tilted her head. "You mean, I'm getting used to it. Yes."

"She's doing a very good job," Heart pointed out. "Aren't you, AAA?"

"I'm sure she is." 001smiled. "And I'm sure she'll want a Core Driviar, when 003 and 009 have figured out how to give her one."

He was staring intensely at AAA. Heart realized after a moment that 001 was trying to affect her memories so that she would agree... though Heart had to wonder if that would work, given that she was part Roidmude.

"Of course I want one! Is a Core Driviar different than a Core?"

"'Core' is the short version," Heart said. "Actually, the Core is what's left behind when a Roidmude's body is destroyed, and a Core Driviar generates that Core for us."

"Oh, then I want one for sure!" She smiled up at him.

"Why don't you go and play on the grass, not too far away, though." 001 shooed her away.

AAA nodded and ran off, though not too far.

"I'm not sure that it's a good idea to have her want a Core Driviar," Heart said. "I want her to make the decision on her own, not influenced by any control."

"A Core would make it easier to track her and rewrite any tendencies she has to think herself human." 001 leaned back on the bench. "I know you don't want her hurt, Heart, but sometimes the safety of the Roidmudes has to override what we want."

Heart sighed. Of course 001 was correct. AAA and AAB did need to be more Roidmude and fit in better with their kin. It was just that Heart wanted them to figure that out for themselves, not be influenced by the Core. "She's already starting to accept what she is... it's AAB that needs persuading."

"That's the other issue. I felt that AAA tried to resist my alterations. While I have yet to find any humans that truly can resist my control, I cannot guarantee that I can continue to influence AAA and AAB."

"But you can try, though?" If AAB could be made more agreeable, he could start learning to be among his own kind. AAA was making attempts, but AAB was still stalking around the warehouse and Heart thought that he might be trying to escape. With or without his sister.

"Yes, I will try." 001 smiled at the sight of AAA, who was looking at something in the grass. "I feel that he will still be hard to handle, though... AAA will just prepare herself when it's time to insert her Core Driviar."

Heart would definitely have to point out the pluses and minuses of having that done to AAA. She would listen; it was obvious that she adored him. But he didn't feel bad at all about having 001 influence AAB. Not when it kept the younger Organic safe from the humans.

"Just do whatever you can," Heart said, and was rewarded with a smile from 001.

Maybe things would turn out right after all.


	15. Chapter 15

Kiriko wasn't surprised at all that Heart held true to his promises. There was a kitchen of sorts, as well as books for her and Gou to read. Gou had even gotten a handheld game to occupy him - something that seemed to calm him down. He did spend a worrying amount of time on it, but at least he wasn't lashing out at her or Heart.

She herself was trying her best to act like she wanted what 001 had said she wanted. Even though whatever 001 had been trying to do hadn't affected her, she realized fast that she had to act like it did or she and Gou might be in even more danger.

001 had spent some time with Gou, which was probably why he was so well-behaved. Whatever 001 had tried to do to her, he'd succeeded with her brother. Not that she minded her brother being less bratty, but she didn't want him to not want to run away.

Of course, she had to figure out where to run away to, first. Mom was dead, after all, and her mother's friend as well. Until she figured that out, there wasn't any way to get to safety. She was sure that 001 would catch them if she didn't think this thing through very, very carefully.

In the meantime, Heart had asked her to do two things. One was to socialize with as many Roidmudes as possible, so that they knew how to act around at least human kids. The second was to spend time with 003. To be honest, she'd rather spend time with the other Roidmudes. Most of them weren't sure of what to do with her, which was better than dealing with 003. He had this terrible tendency to talk right in front of her about what cuts would have to be made to put in the Core, and she had to seem enthusiastic about his plans. 

At least when the conversation had nothing to do with that or his obvious liking of what 001 was doing he seemed to dismiss her presence, and she could quickly sneak away to the room if Gou wasn't there, or the bathroom if she could, just to let go for a few minutes.

She took a deep breath, looking up at 072. "Can I go outside, please?" she asked. He at least seemed somewhat friendly. Kiriko felt bad about potentially running away from him, but he seemed to trust her and she didn't know if anyone else might let her and Gou run out of sight when the time came.

"I don't know. I'll ask 002." 072 nodded apologetically. He hurried towards Heart, and Kiriko could only hope that her own way of making Heart like her had worked. She wished that Gou wasn't playing his video game, but it wasn't like she could leave at the moment. 

A few minutes later, 072 came back with Heart and 003. Heart knelt down so that he would be at her height. "So you want to go outside."

"It's safe at this hour. I would not be in school." She'd had this discussion with him before, so she knew what to say.

"I know." Heart smiled at her. "I want 003 to go out with you. He should spend more time with you. I want him to understand play."

"I can teach him play." Not that he'd pay attention or listen, of course, but it was a small price to pay for getting free.

"Heart, I have things to do." 003 looked down at the two of them.

"I know, but if you're to emulate a human, you need to bond more with AAA and AAB."

003 made an irritated noise. "Of course, Heart," he said. "Of course, watching AAA run about will provide me with more data... providing I can examine her after this exercise is over."

"I trust your judgment." Heart got up. "AAA, do you understand?"

"I need to help 003. I understand!" Maybe 003 would get bored like he usually did.

She let him lead her out. As soon as the door closed, 003 barked, "Run. I need to examine the interface between your organic and non-organic systems."

It would have been a perfect time to get away, had everything been ready. Since it wasn't, Kiriko just smiled and started running.


	16. Chapter 16

Kikiko ran for a while. She experimentally ran out of 003's sight, and thankfully he didn't say anything. It gave her a good way of looking at the area in ways she usually couldn't - most of the other Roidmudes that watched her didn't let her go out of their sight.

She was pretty sure that she remembered the name of the man who could help, and that his phone number was by their home phone, just in case something happened. She knew where her mom hid a spare house key, so as long as she could get out of there, she could find the man's name and give him a call. 

And the good thing was that the Roidmude numbers were slowly thinning in the warehouse. She had made a point to interact with as many as she could, helping Heart shoo the others out. She figured that if she could get most of them to leave, even temporarily, then she and Gou could slip out a door when nobody was looking.

Maybe she and Gou could run off when 003 was watching, too. He might immediately report it to Heart, and he might not. If she and Gou could run out in the dark... she might have a plan. Or at least she hoped so. 

She finished running about and headed back to 003. She had the sense he was frowning at her, but it was hard to tell with expressionless Roidmude faces. Which was why she'd started telling everyone that it would be a good thing to get practice human guises so that they could work on blending with humans. And make it easier for her to read them.

It definitely made Heart happy at least.

"Let's get inside, and then I will examine you." She let 003 take her into her and Gou's room, Gou looking up briefly from his game as they came in. Once 003's brief examination was over, he left without a word, as Kiriko expected.

"We should both go outside and play sometime," she told Gou, "Just so that he can get better data." She didn't want Gou to tattle on her and ruin her plans.

"Oh, okay." Gou briefly looked up, but then returned to his game. She had to wonder what 001 had told him besides to be good and to want to be there and have a Core.

* * *

So Kiriko cooked. And tried to convince more Roidmudes to leave, especially the ones who paid attention to what she and Gou were doing. 072 stayed there, much to her frustration. He'd told her once that he thought that Heart kept too busy and they needed someone to look after them. 

Kiriko stayed quiet until one day when Heart took her to see 003. "I know it's going to hurt," he'd said on the way. "It's your choice whether to do this or not."

She nodded, letting him lead. 003 was there with 009. "We have devised a way to successfully install the Cores to the Organics' nervous systems. It would require, of course, extensive surgery and they would need to be immobilized during their healing process."

Heart was looking at her expectantly. "What do you think, AAA?"

"I don't have an objection, but do you have an estimate of how long it would take for us to heal?" Just in case she didn't get out of there, she needed to know how much time it would take for her to be able to get up. "We will need to eat and do... other things." 

"AAA is correct. You're aware of what they need, 003, on a daily basis."

"Waste can be removed and nutrients injected while they're immobile," 009 explained. "But we'd need time to obtain the supplies... and they're going to need extensive input of the minerals that they're going to subsequently need to grow."

None of that sounded good, and Kiriko wished she could object. As Heart looked at her, she took a mental deep breath. "All of this sounds reasonable. I would go first, of course, since I'm the oldest of the two of us." If she could delay things, all the better.

"Of course," 003 said smoothly. "We'll prepare for this right away, as soon as we have the supplies we need."

She'd have to keep careful track as to not be surprised. In fact, she really had to be getting herself and Gou back as soon as possible. 003 might be arrogant enough that she might be able to get them both away.


	17. Chapter 17

Kiriko didn't have to wait for long to the opportunity to come up. 003 had wanted some last, additional data, and Kiriko had come up with the idea of playing tag with her brother. In the night, when it would be hard for Heart and the others to see her and Gou.

And convincing Gou had been surprisingly easy. Whatever 001 had done, he'd made Gou easy to get to do things for some things. Which included helping gather data for 003.

"So, we're playing Demon Tag tonight," Kiriko told 003. If he asked later, she'd mentioned it before to Heart. "AAB will be the demon, and I'll be running away from him." She produced a piece of cloth. "Here, I'll blindfold you, AAB."

"Why do I get to be the Demon?" Gou complained.

"Because I say so, and because it'll produce more data that 003 can use." Never mind that Demon Tag was played indoors because that way one didn't have to worry about the Demon being injured.

"It's so dark, I don't have to worry about that!" Gou kicked at the pavement a little. "Why do we have to play now?"

"Because the humans won't investigate at this time of night. But you're right. And you're the Demon!"

Kiriko ran off, not bothering to blindfold her brother because she'd need the cloth later. Like when the two of them ran out of sight enough that she could keep Gou from screaming for help. Roidmudes were a bit better than humans when it came to hearing, and Kiriko didn't want to be found. It was bad enough one time when she tried to run out of sight and Heart chose that moment to come home. She'd received a worried lecture, and he'd made her promise not to run out of sight.

So she didn't initially, just enough to lull any suspicions that 003 might have. And then, as the game progressed and Gou tried to catch her, she started to angle towards the next warehouse over, hoping that 003 didn't care or wonder when she was going to head back. She was sure he didn't know how upset Heart would be when they disappeared.

If she did everything right, she wouldn't have to worry about him, ever again.

As soon as she was sure they were out of sight, she allowed Gou to catch up with her. He'd always hated playing any form of tag with her, because she could run faster than him. And faster than some adults. He slapped her hard on the shoulder. "You're the Demon now!" he said, and she took that moment to grab him. 

He fought back, trying to push her away with his enhanced arm. She knocked him to the ground, using her weight to pin him and then tying the gag into place. 

She could hear someone talking to 003 as Gou tried to protest. She tried not to move, crouching behind the boxes as much as she could.

"AAA? AAB?" Heart was calling, his voice edged with his worry. She wished she could reply, but for she knew that if she did, she'd never get away.

Drawing Gou more into the space behind the boxes, she waited. It would be a long night, she'd have to stay awake while Heart and the others looked for them, and then when they stopped looking, she'd get Gou away.

She just hoped it wouldn't take until morning, when everybody could see them clearly and warehouse workers would try to take them to the police.

Heart and some of the others started searching. Occasionally one would come near where they were hiding, and Gou started to struggle, but She kept a firm hand over his mouth. Heart kept calling to them, and Kiriko had to wipe away tears a few times. He'd tried. He'd really tried. But Kiriko wasn't going to live in his world.

Finally, after Heart called off the search, Kiriko got Gou to his feet and got both of them away. It was probably a kilometer or two before Gou started sulkily cooperating and letting her lead him home. She herself had to figure out where they were every so often, and she was very tired by the time they finally made it to where they lived.

She found the key that her mom had hidden just in case, unlocked the door, and pulled Gou inside. It looked like someone had been through the house, probably the police looking for them. But she couldn't think about that. She had to find help.

There was a phone list by the phone. Most of the names wouldn't be of much help, but there was a name in romanji. It was an international number, starting with a one.

Picking up the phone grimly, she dialed the number.


	18. Chapter 18

"I don't think Heart, or any other Roidmude, would have warm feelings towards me." She shook her head, looking at Tomari Shinnosuke and Krim Steinbelt. Krim knew the whole story, having heard it before, but Shinnosuke hadn't. 

"But just in case, you have that." Shinnosuke nodded at her pendant. She had a copy, just as Gou had one, to keep the Roidmudes from figuring out too easily that AAA and AAB were still around.

"Yes." Kiriko sighed internally. After Professor Harley Hendrikson had rescued them, they'd ended up growing up in America, and Gou was still there. But she had returned, because Krim had called for some assistance, and he'd helped her get a job with the police force in Japan. Between Krim and Harley, nobody questioned why someone who'd spent most of her childhood in America was coming back to Japan to work, and both of them had made sure she kept her Japanese - even if she had a slight accent now.

"Heart seems to be aware that Kiriko is still alive, and I'm not sure how," Krim said, "But we must be very careful that she does not come in close contact with any Roidmudes. While this should prevent any casual discovery, if subjected to a full scan one would surely be able to find out what she is."

"So, if by chance someone calls her 'AAA', get her to safety."

"Precisely!" Krim was silent for a moment. "However, we do have to concentrate on our current opponent."

"The power outages, possibly caused by that Roidmude." Shinnosuke nodded. "Kiriko, let's do some investigating."

Of course, they had to encounter Chase. He seemed repulsed by humans, so she wasn't too worried about him touching her and figuring out she wasn't what she seemed.

It was, of course during that fight when Heart showed up. Kiriko blinked, surprised he hadn't changed - and then reminded herself that he wouldn't. After all, it wasn't like he would age! "Heart," she whispered, and he turned towards her. She wondered if he had understood her, or if he'd just turned at the noise. From his expression, he was uncertain. He walked forward, proclaiming his desire to fight, and her heart clenched as he spoke the words, putting a hand briefly on her shoulder as he passed. 

"I'll come back for you, I promise," he said softly, and there was a smile on his face.

It wasn't a surprise when Krim panicked, nor was it a surprise when he called Tridoron, getting himself, Shinnosuke, and Kiriko to safety.

As soon as they were safe, Krim stopped the car. "Kiriko, did I hear what I thought I thought I heard from Heart?"

"He knows," she said, confirming Krim's words. Somehow, either Heart had put things together just that moment, or he'd known beforehand that she had once been called "AAA". It wasn't a good feeling either way.

"We'll keep you safe." Shinnosuke grinned at her. "Don't worry, you won't have to go back to being what you were."

She wondered if Heart realized that she'd been a little girl when he'd last seen her, and that she was a grown adult now. Not that she wanted to deal with him either way, but she had no choice.

"Now that I'm older, I can get Heart to stop treating me as Roidmude. But I'll need your help." Heart would listen to reason. He was willing to listen back then, and she didn't doubt that he would listen now.

She just didn't want him to try to kidnap her as a way of making sure she was safe.

"What can we do?" Shinnosuke asked.

"I'll need a tracking device put in me - is there a way?" she asked. There were kind of trackers in the Shift Cars, but she wasn't sure whether there was one for humans.

"I'm sure that we can do that." Krim seemed to paused. "But Kiriko, are you sure you want to do this? Heart is a dangerous opponent."

"Who listens to reason." He was trying to destroy humanity, yes, but he'd listened to her when she was little.

"Then we'll see what we can do." Shinnosuke grinned. "Let's do it!"


	19. Chapter 19

Heart had been careful. Chase had given him the first clue to the continued existence of at least AAA - an encounter when he was still brainwashed by the enemy, so Heart couldn't press him any further for fear of making him remember things that Heart hoped he'd forever forget. But he was able to get data on the Kamen Rider's companion, and despite the scrambled data, Brain had been quite sure that Krim had somehow corrupted AAA.

To be honest, this had been something that Heart had been afraid of. He still wasn't sure of what had happened that night when AAA and AAB had disappeared, but he was sure that it had something to do with Krim. Somehow, the scientist had escaped not only death, but with the two younger-looking organic Roidmudes. It was obvious that despite her apparent freedom - Heart had one of their own following her - that Krim had her on a tight leash.

But Krim didn't seem to monitor her as tightly when she was supposedly off of work, so it was a perfect window of opportunity to free her. She very much kept to a pattern when it came to her weekly travels, and he knew that she'd be taking a walk through one of the local parks. Brain was coming with him, mostly because Brain insisted he needed better readings than Heart and Chase had been able to provide. 

"After all," Brain had said, "I need time to modify my original plans to compensate for the changes in her body. She will, of course, come with us."

"I intend to give her a choice." He knew that she would still be willing to take a Core, because that's what 001 had modified her memories to want, but he still had to ask.

"And I'm sure she'll agree that she should take one." Brain shifted a little. "They're both programmed to want one."

Heart had nodded, and Brain had joined him in the car for the short trip. Their comrade was at the park, waiting for them. "She's gone inside," he said, and nodded his head towards the entrance. "You should be able to find her easily enough."

"Which way was she heading?" Heart asked. He didn't want to sneak up on her if he didn't have to. She'd suffered enough without him scaring her.

"Usually, she walks from this corner of the park to the other, to go get groceries."

Brain nodded at that, and without Heart's prompting, slowly headed inside.

"Show me a way in that will cross her path," Heart said, and his comrade, after a moment, did.

He moved faster than Brain, even when Brain was deliberately slowing his steps. Soon, he could see AAA, walking towards the store. She still needed to eat like a human, of course, which meant going and getting food.

Catching up with her, he stepped ahead, just enough that he wouldn't surprise her too much. She stopped, wide-eyed. "Heart," she said, moving into a defensive pose. It hurt him a little that she was defensive around him now. He wished he could fix her, but he wouldn't do so without asking her consent, no matter how altered that consent might be.

"AAA," he said. "It's all right, you're safe now. I'm here."

"Heart, I'm not in danger." She said it calmly, relaxing a little as she spoke. It gave him a little relief.

"The humans took you. Changed you. I know you don't understand but... I want to bring you home."

"It's okay, Heart. I took myself away. And Gou." She shook her head. "You had so many Roidmudes to take care of, I knew you shouldn't have to concentrate on us. Mom still had friends, they were able to take care of us and made sure we grew up okay." 

She spoke a little differently now, and her accent was odd, but he knew it was still her. It was a bit flattering - if terrifying - that she'd thought of her own kind so important that she'd run away so that he could concentrate on them. Which had been important, he'd needed to, but not at the cost of losing her and her sibling.

But who had taken care of them who had known how to give them the rare minerals they'd needed? Everything pointed to one of Krim's colleagues, which meant that they could have been abused and AAA wouldn't have realized it. And she still needed rescuing now, though Heart hoped she'd come with him instead of having to be taken for her own good.

He realized after a moment that maybe taking her away by force would make him no better than Krim. He'd have to talk her into coming home for her own safety.

"And now I can concentrate on you and AAB. Where is he, by the way?" There had been no reports of a male counterpart, and her so-called partner was definitely not their missing number.

"America, where we grew up. He's in college." She shrugged, as if it was nothing important. 

"Is he coming home soon?" Maybe he'd come home to visit. Then Heart and the others could free both siblings at once. 

Brain was coming up behind her, and Heart hoped that he'd be subtle about the scan. Heart didn't want to scare AAA. "No, he's happy over there."

If he knew where AAB was, then he could have some of their kind over there watch over AAB. "Where in America did you grow up?" Heart asked.

"Mostly all over the place... but mostly Arizona." Heart scanned his memory on locations. Arizona could be a big place, but he could easily order all the America-based Roidmudes to converge there and look for AAB at one of the colleges there.

Brain reached AAA and laid a hand on her shoulder, obviously starting his scan. She grabbed his hand and threw him over her shoulder.

"Ow!" Brain proclaimed. "You weren't supposed to do that." He got up off the ground, glaring at her.

"You remember 003," Heart said. "He wanted to see how you were." She'd remember how Brain acted back then and hopefully would understand.

"Oh." She looked at Brain. "I'm used to you scanning me from the front."

"I'll remember that." He got up, dusting his human form off.

"Let's go home, AAA." Heart reached out his hand, and she took it. He was himself surprised as AAA hugged him, and his arms encircled her form almost automatically. No matter what, she still loved him. That was good.

"I can't." She slowly backed out of his embrace. "I have my own life now, Heart. I can't go back to the little girl I was fifteen years ago."

"Brain can install your Core Driviar - I'm sure with enough information, he can modify his original plans."

"But I don't want one." She was backing away further now, and Heart thought he saw fear in her eyes. Either Krim had done something to her, or something else had happened. "I never wanted one, but I wanted to make you happy."

"She's immune!" Brain blurted out.

It made a disturbing amount of sense. She'd gone along with 001's words because she wanted to make Heart happy, not because she was under any control.

It also meant that she had made her own choice, out of her own free will, which meant that it had to be respected. "I understand. Go live your own life, AAA, and I'll be here if you need me. I can still save you, if you decide that you want to be rescued. You don't have to have a Core if you don't want, but remember, it'll make me worry less."

There was a small smile on her face now. "It's my choice, Heart."

"Then I'll respect that. Come on, Brain." He took Brain's arm, and Brain reluctantly let Heart lead him away.

"I can't believe she's immune. You should have just taken her. Now what are you going to tell 001?"

"That she's immune." He saw no point in withholding that information - it was likely that part of her immunity was the Roidmude technology inside her and that hers wasn't a true immunity like what they'd encountered before. "And so AAB is likely as well."

"She also needs a Core. You know what 001 said - she's a risk to us if she doesn't have one."

Heart nodded. He didn't want to think of AAA or AAB as a risk. If Krim had them, they were probably compromised anyway, and it wasn't like a Core could help in that regard. Heart still wanted them both to have one, but it was still more to keep them safe than anything else.

He just had to hope that AAA came to her senses sometime soon.


	20. Chapter 20

Someone laughed behind Kiriko. It was a girlish laugh, one she'd heard before - from Medic, now that the Roidmude had been revived. Kiriko tensed, placing her groceries on a nearby bench, before turning to face her. She didn't know what number Medic had once been, but she did know that this visit no doubt meant trouble.

"Medic," she said, once she'd turned to face the woman who had been following her.

"AAA. You've been a bad little Roidmude, haven't you?" There was a smile on Medic's face, a nasty one, one that told Kiriko that the Roidmude was up to no good.

"Only a few Roidmude ever considered me one." And she doubted that Medic was one of that number. There had been a few - two or three besides Heart and 072 - but that was a small amount compared to the Roidmude population in whole. "I don't think you're one of them."

Medic laughed again. "Mr. Heart considers you one, so I do as well." She studied Kiriko. "And you've made him very unhappy by refusing to accept a Core."

Heart had looked heartbroken, but he'd held by his promise to let her make up her own mind, or at least had stayed out of her way. She suspected that Chase had turned up more frequently after that encounter because Heart wanted to make sure that she was okay.

"He respects my choice." She emphasized the last word. She wondered for a moment if she should proclaim herself Roidmude, but she knew she wasn't. She would never be Roidmude, even if she did for some bizarre reason accept a Core Driviar. Krim had told her that it would likely kill her if she did take one on. 

"Mr. Heart's happiness is more important than that." Medic had stopped smiling and was looking at her intently. She thought about what she could do - she was not at Medic's level, but with her legs she could outrun even some Roidmudes. "He worries about you when he shouldn't have to."

"He's worried about me before - I've turned out fine." There was nobody in the park besides the two of them at the moment, at least nobody that Kiriko could see. If she started running, assuming Medic had no accurate long-range attack - she would be fine. She'd call Tomari and Krim as soon as she got out of there.

And if she didn't, the tracker hidden in her would tell them where she was. She pressed just so on a spot on her left arm.

Medic broke out into laughter once more. Kiriko took a step away. "You'd be much better off if you didn't feel loyal to the humans," she said.

That was Kiriko's signal to leave. She turned, dashed away, groceries forgotten. If they were still there, she'd get them with Tomari as her escort.

Tentacles wrapped themselves around her in short order, lifting her off the ground. She glanced back, seeing that the tentacles belonged to what only could be an evolved Roidmude, probably Medic herself.

And then there was a sharp sensation as a tentacle pressed by her side, and she found herself passing out.

* * *

When she woke up, she was numb. She could feel a pressure against her hand and the press of a surface beneath her and maybe something covering her, but nothing else. Medic seemed an unlikely person to hold someone's hand, so Kiriko cautiously opened her eyes. She turned her head to one side to see who it was.

"You're awake," Heart said, breaking out in a smile. It felt like a relief that he was there, and she hoped he'd come in time. "I'm sorry about what happened. I thought I'd made it clear to everybody that it was your choice."

"Did she-" Kiriko felt like she'd screamed for hours. Maybe she had.

"I didn't come home until it was over." His tone was apologetic, and she believed him. Even if there were things she couldn't forgive him for, like the death of her mother, she knew he wouldn't have wanted her taken away by force. "Can you sit up? Medic says she healed the wounds from the surgery, but...."

"I feel numb." She had to get Heart away. Tomari had to be coming for her, unless Medic had deactivated her tracking device. She couldn't check, just in case Medic had told Heart about it.

"Medic says you'll be all right." He helped her sit up. "But you'll still want rest. You're safe - she deactivated that tracking device that the humans put in you."

Well, nobody ever said that Medic was stupid. She must have seen Kiriko activating it and drawn the right conclusion. Heart handed her a cup of water, which she drank carefully. Even if it was drugged, she needed something for her throat.

"AAA," Heart said, his face serious. "Promise me that you'll stay this time. You're as important as any other Roidmude. I don't want you running off because you think the welfare of our kind is more important than you, or because Krim Steinbert and his accomplices filled your head with lies. Which I know they did."

Kiriko looked into his eyes and desperately tried to think of an answer. "I never thought the Roidmudes were evil," she said carefully. Certainly there were those who were evil, but not all of them were. "No matter what anybody said. But I don't think you should be focusing on me. Or Gou."

"Gou is safe," he said. "I have 008 watching over him in America. He'll be taken to safety if he needs to be." He smiled again. "You shouldn't think you're less of a Roidmude because you're still organic."

"I don't." He needed the reassurance, and she needed to get out of there. Even if Tomari didn't know where she was, she'd find a way out of there, just as she and Gou had left fifteen years ago. She just needed time.


	21. Chapter 21

AAA was sleeping, much to Heart's relief. He knew that she had her own life to live, just as any other Roidmude did, but he couldn't help but worry about her and AAB. At least AAB was safe, according to 008. He had dropped out of school, apparently, but he was not doing anything to endanger himself. Once AAA was rested a bit, Heart hoped that she'd be able to convince her brother to come back home and take on a Core.

This time, he would be sure that not only would AAB have a choice, but that the choice was respected, unlike what had happened to AAA. Kiriko. She wasn't technically evolved, but he knew she'd always preferred that human name of hers, and he'd show her the respect she hadn't gotten before by treating her as an evolved Roidmude. He knew that without the core, she was potentially dangerous to their plans, but to him, she'd never been anything except as damaged as all of them had been by Banno. Besides, she hadn't had any secrets to tell, other than what was in her own body.

Yes, she'd been brainwashed like Chase, but in a different way. Because her mind had still been organic, the humans had to convince her that Roidmudes were evil. Obviously not all of the brainwashing had happened; it was obvious that she didn't hate him or any other Roidmude, even if she'd worked against them. Krim obviously had her under his control in some way, but inside, she was still Roidmude and loyal to her people.

It occurred to him that she was being controlled via threats placed against AAB. Or maybe there was some programming involved that compelled her to stay with Krim and his puppet even if she believed in the Roidmude cause.

He made a note to tell 008 to take AAB to safety. Kiriko might not tell him if her brother was in danger in a way that 008 had not seen, but that ensured that he would be safe. 008 could use an assistant, and AAB had a strong arm. 

001 entered the room, smiling. He was in his human form, an older man in charge of the police. He'd come up in the world since he'd taken on the human's identity so many years ago, enough that he'd been able to help monitor what was going on with AAA - Kiriko.

"How is she?" 001 asked. Heart smiled back as his old friend, glad for his concern.

"Resting. Medic was able to take away most of the pain, but not during the surgery." Kiriko - Heart kept reminding himself to use that name - had apparently been screaming. Heart would have to get her human medication for her throat and make sure she didn't talk for a while. "She was able to modify the original design so that it would work even greater than anticipated."

001 looked down at Kiriko. "As much as I know you disagree, my friend, it's safer for both her and us that she has a Core. It's a shame that my control doesn't work on her."

Heart knew that not all of his kind agreed with his attitude towards the two Organics. 001 depended a lot on controlling the humans with his abilities, and seemed to regard Kiriko and AAB as less than Roidmude. It probably hadn't helped that they'd been gone for so many years and 001 had subsequently discovered humans immune to his memory control. "She deserves to be able to make her own decisions." Even if her reasoning had been altered by Krim's brainwashing, all he could do was fix the damage. Convince her to come back despite what Krim had made her think was right.

"Think of it as giving her a backup just in case Krim Steinbert - or his chosen one - takes her choice badly." 001 put a hand up. "There's free will and there's brainwashing. She might have to be fixed enough to not run back to them."

He'd helped fix Chase. But Chase had been an exception, the programming too entrenched to fix easily, and at the end Brain had to wipe the other's memories. Kiriko had never had a Core. It might be easier to fix her. And 001 was right, she might have to have that little part of her fixed just so that she didn't go back into a dangerous situation.

But Heart had faith that she would stay. Would have her fixed, if needed be, but once he talked more to her, he was sure she would listen to him. Be a Roidmude once more, as she was meant to be.


	22. Chapter 22

Kiriko woke up, stretching carefully. She knew she'd have to get out of there, but like the first time the Roidmudes had kidnapped her and Gou, she'd definitely have to be careful. And this time, she didn't have the luxury of being around someone who didn't care if she wandered off. This time, she had Heart, who really wanted her to stay, and Medic, who really wanted her to stay because Heart really wanted her to stay.

Her first priority was to get Gou to safety. If there was a Roidmude watching him, he needed to know. Professor Hendrickson had safehouses, and Gou could be sent to one if needed. Then she could see what could be done to get the Core out of her, and fix anything else that had been done.

To do that, she had to find some way to get out of the house - or wherever she was being held, but it looked like a house - long enough to find a pay phone, call Tomari, tell him what was going on, and get back in before Heart or Medic noticed. Which meant that she had to explore while not seeming like she was exploring.

She was in some kind of bedroom. Getting up gingerly, she opened the first door she came across, which turned out to be a closet. There was one window, far too small for her to squeeze through, but might be useful. It looked out onto a wall of shrubbery.

The other door was unlocked, much to her relief. She walked through to a short hallway. There was another door next to her room's, which proved to be the toilet.

Kiriko headed the other way, which proved to be a living room. Where Heart and Medic were. There was something that looked like dried blood on the living room table, and Kiriko had a feeling that it was hers.

"Kiriko." Heart rose with a smile. It took Kiriko a moment to realize that he was calling her by name, not Roidmude designation. Behind Heart, Medic was making a face. "Don't try to talk. I have some food and medication for you, for your throat."

Kiriko wondered how she was supposed to talk, and then realized that her throat was indeed still hoarse. At least Heart noticed. And he'd remembered that she needed food, too. 

She wondered if she'd always felt warm towards Heart or if she'd been changed to think that way.

"Here, food first. I'm sure you're tired, and you need your energy." He guided her towards a chair, and she sank into it. "Do you think you can handle food? Nod or shake your head."

She nodded, and he picked up a bowl of rice. She took it and started eating, as her stomach made her realize how hungry she was. "I have some business to attend to, but Medic and Brain will alternate shifts when I'm not available. Both of them think you're going to leave us - but of course I know you won't." He gave her a dazzling smile, while Medic frowned at her.

Of course Medic and Brain wouldn't trust her. She wouldn't trust her in their shoes, either. The first time she'd gotten free had been due to Brain being too arrogant, and Medic surely knew what had happened all those many years ago. Neither of them would give her a chance.


	23. Chapter 23

"This is where Kiriko's tracking device was... at least for a few minutes." Rinna indicated a location on her screen.

Shinnosuke peered at the dot. It had taking an agonizing amount of time for Rinna's computer to reestablish a connection to the tracking device that Kiriko had requested to be placed inside her and activated in case of an emergency.

"But it's not where it is now?" he asked.

"The tracker says she went here," Rinna said, indicating a second dot, where the trail ended. It was all the way across Tokyo. "But I don't believe it."

If Rinna didn't believe it, then Shinnosuke didn't either. He straightened up turning to Mr. Belt. "Then that first place, that's where we're going."

"Indeed, Shinnosuke." Mr. Belt was as concerned as he was. Well, Kiriko had been the first candidate for Drive, even before Shinnosuke had, and even if she hadn't been, she was his friend and colleague. She wouldn't have activated the tracking device unless it was an emergency.

They were soon on their way to the location, which turned out to be a little house in a suburb. Tridoron was parked around the corner where it couldn't easily be seen. Shinnosuke found himself tensing. What if this wasn't the location, but a false location? Nobody wanted to be the cop who showed up at the wrong place and interrupted a peaceful family.

He was so glad he'd transformed on the way. Even if a guy in armor was more conspicuous than a police officer in a suit, it gave his colleagues some protection in case he was wrong.

Edging around the property, he looked in one small window, and saw a figure jump up from the bed. To his somewhat relief, it was Kiriko. He hadn't gotten the wrong house after all. She practically ran to the window, opening it a small amount. "Gou," she rasped, and Shinnosuke had to strain to hear her. "Call him... I'm safe for the moment but they might kidnap him next."

Shinnosuke wanted to point out that if they moved Kiriko, that wouldn't help much. "Right," he said. He had to have faith that she had a plan.

"His number... 010148...."

Scrambling to write the number down, Shinnosuke could only nod. Then he detransformed, sneaking out of there and heading back to Tridoron. It was only when he was on his way back to the garage that he spoke. "That sequence of numbers... a phone number?" Kiriko's voice had been very raspy.

"Yes. I haven't been in Arizona for quite a while, but I recognize the area code." Mr. Belt had probably called America quite a bit. "It's very late over there but I doubt Kiriko would want you to wait."

"Right." He silently apologized to Kiriko's brother and hoped that the man would answer. Well, if not, he'd leave a message.

"Yo." The answer was in English, unsurprisingly. 

"Shijima Gou? I'm Tomari Shinnosuke. Your sister's partner." Kiriko spoke Japanese, so he was sure Gou did as well.

There was a yawn on the other side of the line. "Whassup?" He spoke Japanese with the same accent that Kiriko did.

"Your sister got kidnapped by Roidmudes, and she wanted you to know you were being followed." It wasn't elegant, but he didn't know how much it would cost to call America, and Gou had to get to safety anyway.

"Fuck." The word was in English, but Shinnosuke recognized it as a curse word. He followed it up with a burst of English, possibly to someone in the same room as him. "Where is she?"

"I'll get her. She wanted you out of there - they're coming after you next."

There was another bout of swearing. "Got it. See you!" The connection dropped.

"Did that sound like he was going to try to come here to you?"

"Unfortunately," Mr. Belt said gravely, "Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To dial the U.S. from Japan, apparently you use 010 to indicate an international call, followed by 1 for the United States, and then the area code and local number.


End file.
